So what rules apply when a member of Congress dates a lobbyist, specifically a lobbyist who represents policy interest that falls under your jurisdiction either from a parochial or policy perspective? The short answer is the rules are slightly ambiguous about whether or not it’s legal for a member of Congress to date a lobbyist who has business before their committee or congressional district, but the long answer is it does not even past the smell test.
The code of ethics for government employees — including members of Congress — is very clear about how government employees should conduct themselves when it comes to gifts and special favors: “Never discriminate unfairly by the dispensing of special favors or privileges to anyone, whether for remuneration or not; and never accept for [oneself] or [one’s] family, favors or benefits under circumstances which might be construed by reasonable persons as influencing the performance of his [or her] governmental duties.” That’s very clear in principle, but it’s more nuanced when the person who is lobbying you is someone you’re dating and technically not family.
“I’ve been very transparent,” Shuster said last week at a media event when asked about this association with a lobbyist who is working on an overhaul of the Federal Aviation Administration, an agency that runs out of funding on Sept. 30 of this year and is directly affected by Shuster’s chairmanship of the House Transportation Committee — a committee his girlfriend is paid to lobby. “I know a lot of people that are lobbyists in this town but, again, I think we can do these things as professionals.”
I think most would agree the “professional” thing to do would be for Shuster or his girlfriend to recuse themselves from any aviation matters until the Federal Aviation Administration funding has passed, or since it’s hard for the chairman of the committee to recuse himself, it would be easier and most likely more ethical if his girlfriend was reassigned to another department while the FAA goes through it’s reevaluation process. That way, it eliminates all of the natural suspicion people have about the process.
It also raises the confidence staff have about their member being impartial about the policy and process as I am sure many staff on the transportation committee have cause for concern about how and where Shuster gets his information, his objectivity when he receives it and his application of the information once he has processed it.
No matter how you look at this, all parties are affected by how messy this relationship can be: staff, members, and Shuster and his girlfriend. I am not advocating they end their relationship, as that would be unfair. I am advocating they shed more daylight on their business and personal dealings with each other.
Let’s hope they both are reading this.
Follow Robert Traynham on Twitter @roberttraynham.